Garden of Eden
by Aiedail01
Summary: This is sort of Eden's backstory... we never heard that much about her, so I thought I would write about her.
1. Prologue

Yeah... hiya, guys! I'm trying this out. We never really found out much about Eden, so I guess I'm making a backstory for her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star. I do, however, own the Taylor family excluding Eden.

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My parents' dream was to have two children. They were strict Catholics and they wanted to name their children after the first people- Adam and Eve. When my sister was born, they named her Eve Elizabeth, to go along with their plan. And when I was born, the dream ended. I wasn't an Adam, and they were disappointed. So they called me Eden, the garden where Adam and Eve lived.

They tried and tried to have another baby- a boy this time, their Adam, but no luck. My mother was not pregnant again. So it was just us two girls- Eve and Eden. We were friends, only two years apart, and we played together and taught each other things. We were so different, though, in appearances and otherwise.

Eve had dark brown hair. She was more of an exotic beauty, while I was the cute little curly-haired blue-eyed blonde. She was a ballerina- the perfect image of what my parents wanted for their daughter. And she was the best in her class of uncoordinated five-year-olds. Even then she had perfect balance and accelerated to the next level quickly. And I was always compared to her. Eve sang in church choir. Eve got straight A's. Eve is beautiful.

Oh, I was smart and pretty and all of those things as well. But I never measured up to Eve. Never. I tried so hard. I joined her ballet class and worked my hardest, practicing late at night until my parents told me to stop thumping the floor with my toe shoes. But Eve was so careless- never practiced, never studied, and she was automatically amazing.

Me, the girl who worked for it, who really tried, got nothing. My parents loved me, there was no question there. They never hurt me, never ignored me. But it still seemed like Eve was always better and they wanted me to be exactly like her.

You'd think she'd be awful when our parents weren't looking, but she wasn't. She was one of those goody two shoes who always did the right thing. And people didn't hate her for it. Everyone wanted to be like Eve, everyone wished they _were_ Eve.

We had a perfect family. Nothing was ever wrong.

It was scary how perfect we were.

---

What did you think?? I have another chapter. I wrote this a looong time ago but I never put it up.


	2. There is Discord in the Garden Tonight

Thanks for the review!! I know there are other people reading this, though, so please review if you are reading it!!

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When Eve was 14 and I was 12, our family started to fall apart.

Her freshman year in high school, grade 9, she was invited to a party. She was excited, went shopping with her friends for an outfit. The night of the party, she left to get ready at a friend's house, nodding at warnings from our parents to be careful.

The sound of the doorbell woke me up. I sleepily checked the clock- 1:24. The doorbell rang again, and I heard my mom roll out of bed and stomp down the hall. She opened the door and let out a little gasp. 

"Henry, please come down here," she called. My dad groaned and got out of bed as well, I saw his shadow pass my door.

I soon heard another man's voice and got out of bed to investigate.

I crawled down the hall, making as little noise as possible. I slipped down a few steps until I could see the front door without anyone seeing me. There was my mom in her pink nightgown and ratty slippers, my dad in a t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms. With them was a burly police officer, and there was my sister, clad in a too-small pink tube top and the tightest jeans I'd ever seen.

She giggled, weaving from side to side. She stumbled on her high stilettos, but the police officer held her up. He began talking to my parents, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. He gestured and pointed, but I still couldn't figure out what he was talking about.

Suddenly, Eve's eyes widened and she gagged and retched, throwing up over the police officer's arm and onto our rug. The officer stepped back, my dad ran over to help Eve, and my mom still looked aghast. The officer nodded and stepped out the door.

My mom and dad began heading towards the stairs, helping Eve walk, and I ran back into my room.

The next morning, Eve didn't come out of her room until 1:30 that afternoon. She got up, eyes bloodshot, holding her head and moaning. She stumbled to the bathroom and gulped down cup after cup of water, me watching her with my eyes wide. She glared at me, but made no effort to say anything.

She went downstairs to the living room where my parents sat, pretending to read the newspaper but really conversing in harsh whispers.

"Eden, sweetie, please go up to your room. Your father and I need to speak with Eve." My mom nudged my shoulder. "Go ahead and have a few cookies, I just made some chocolate chip."

I nodded, confused, and went into the kitchen, which was connected to the living room. "Shut the door behind you!" my mother called. I pulled the door, but left it open a tiny, tiny bit. I discovered that if I sat right up near the door, against the wall, I could hear every word my parents said. So I folded my legs under me and listened, munching on the cookies I held in my lap.

"What were you thinking?" they asked Eve over and over. She made no response, but my parents didn't even wait for her to answer. They lectured her on the dangers of alcohol, told her how she was damaging what God had given her. It went on for what seemed like hours. My cookies were soon gone, leaving me to lick up crumbs off of my shirt and fingers.

In the end, she was grounded for two months. She couldn't leave the house, no TV, no computer, no radio, no CDs, nothing except homework. Eve muttered something under her breath as I heard her stomp up the stairs. I immediately jumped up and ran after her, careful not to let my parents see me.

Eve seemed to accept her punishment. She came home from school right away each day, shutting herself up in her room, leaving only for meals which our mother forced her to have.

Our parents believed firmly in family dinners, believed in all of us sharing time together at the end of the day. We said a prayer, and then served the food. We would pass each dish counter-clockwise, that was the rule. We'd take a little of everything and have to eat all that was on our plates.

Most days, Eve and I would take turns babbling about what had happened at school, what tests we'd had, what a teacher had said, what classes we liked. Then my dad would tell my mother about work, complaining about extra things loaded on him, how his employees were inept.

But now we ate in silence.

I searched desperately for something to break it. "Um," I said.

Mom, Dad, and Eve all looked up at me, broke away from staring at their plates full of rice and chicken.

"Um, I got an A on my math test. It was... hard," I finished lamely.

"Good, Eden. I'm proud of you. Did you study?" Mom tried to smile at me, Dad pretended to look interested.

They always said things like this- but now I noticed their facial expressions. Did they even care? Did they even want to know these things? Or were they just preoccupied with Eve?

I nodded. "I studied." 

I cleared the table when we were done, Eve put the dishes in the dishwasher and disappeared back into her room.

----

He grounding didn't matter to her- she preferred her room to her family, anyway.

Anyway, she snuck out at night to go to parties and concerts. I knew, and she knew I knew. I don't know how my parents didn't notice.

Her room was right next to mine. At night, I would look out my window, watching as hers pushed open, as she climbed out, usually wearing tight jeans and low cut tops. She would hang onto the bottom of the window frame, then swing herself onto a branch of a nearby magnolia tree. She'd step down on lower branches, then drop to the ground from the lowest one.

Then she'd dust herself off, and run down the street to meet her friends on the corner.

I would sigh, watching her. What happened to Eve, the girl who would tell me everything? The girl who would help me with homework? The girl who was my sister? 

One night, our mom went into Eve's room to give her a cup of tea- Eve had said she wasn't feeling well earlier. Eve wasn't there.

Mom knocked on my door. "Eden, honey?" I looked up. "Do you know where Eve is?"

I froze. I couldn't lie. But I had to protect my sister. "I think she snuck out," I said. They'd figured that already.

"Do you know where she went?" Mom asked. I shook my head.

I knew exactly what party she was at... but I kept that information to myself.

My parents were frantic, searching all over. They didn't go as far to call the police (they'd gotten enough rumors spread around the first time when the officer brought Eve home), but they sat tapping their fingers in the living room.

At 2:30, I heard a knock against the window. It was Eve. She motioned with her fingers to open it. I ran to the window, pushed it up, and helped pull my sister inside.

"Who shut my window??" she hissed.

"Mom," I whispered back. "They found out- they're pissed."

"Damnit," she said, squeezing her eyes shut.

I thought fast.

"Here, put on your pajamas, then say you went to church because you felt remorse... and you were praying."

Eve stared at me. "That's the lamest thing I've ever heard."

Eve," I told her. "They will be overjoyed. They want to believe the best in you."

She sighed.

"Just wear my pajamas," I said. "They'll hear you if you try to go back in your room." I handed her a pair of polka dotted pants and a white t-shirt. She stripped her clothes off (the jeans with difficulty), hid them in my closet, and pulled on the pajamas.

"Go downstairs and tell them," I said. "Say you're sorry that they were worried."

"But I'm NOT sorry!" she said. "I had fun tonight. I'm glad I went and I don't care that they were worried."

"Do you want to get grounded again?" I asked her, frustrated.

"Eden! I don't care! I've been grounded for the past year, and that's never stopped me."

She was right. I sighed, and sat back down on my bed.

She gave me a hug. "Hey. Thanks for being here for me." I shrugged her off and wiggled under my covers. She half smiled, shut my window, and walked down the hall to her room.

My parents heard her footsteps. "Eve!"

"I'm tired," she said. "You can yell at me in the morning. Go to bed, please." She ordered.

"Eve! Don't speak to us like that! You had us worried sick, and all you can do is talk back. Where were you?"

But Eve's door was shut, and she didn't answer.

----

It went on like that for years. We would pretend like nothing was going on. We would show up at Church together every Sunday, volunteer at the soup kitchen once a month.

Eve was grounded every other day- smoking in the bathroom during school, cheating on tests, making out with guys in the hallway, sneaking out at night, wearing revealing clothes... the list was endless.

But she didn't care. In her eyes, she was an adult and she could do whatever she liked. My parents weren't going to stop her.

---

Well... that's it for now. They'll be more stuff later!! Remember to review!!


	3. After She Left

Thanks for the review

Thanks for the review!! I would REALLY appreciate more... (hint hint) If you're reading, there's no reason why you can't review...

And sorry I haven't updated in so long. I love this story. I just haven't had the inspiration to keep writing, haha.

--

The moment Eve turned 18, she left.

It was summer. She had just graduated from high school, and I had just made it through 10th grade. She barely scraped by with Cs, I had all As. Our parents had pressured her to apply for college. She had applied to one college. She was rejected, but it didn't bother her. She didn't want to go to college.

She had been counting the days for awhile, packing up her stuff. She had tried to leave earlier, but she wasn't a legal adult yet- she couldn't get very far. She had a fake ID, of course, but our parents would have hunted her down. There was no doubt about that.

She packed up her stuff the night before her birthday, shoving clothes, money, and pictures into suitcases. The next morning, she was gone. She left a letter to my parents and a letter to me. She didn't say where she was going, only left her cell phone number, which we already knew.

My parents were shocked. They didn't admit to anyone that Eve was gone. They didn't believe that their perfect Christian daughter would do this.

My mom read the letter to her and my father and cried. I read my letter and didn't say anything.

"Honey, what does your say?" she asked me, wiping her eyes.

"Nothing," I said, folding it up and tucking it in my pocket. "Just that I was a great sister, looked out for her... that sort of thing."

"That was sweet of her," my mother said, breaking down once again.

"What does yours say?" I asked.

"Nothing," my dad answered roughly, his arm around my mom. "Nothing helpful. Why don't you go to bed, Eden?"

It was only 7:30, but I nodded and went upstairs.

I shut my door tightly, pressed blankets against the crack underneath. I looked at the wrapped box on my desk. Inside the pink wrapping paper was a little necklace with a topaz, Eve's birthstone. It was her birthday present. I didn't have a chance to give it to her. I smoothed out my letter, reading it again.

_Dear Eden,_

_I'm sorry I screwed up our family so much. I'm sorry you had to put up with me. But I hate what we believe and I hate how we have to act all the time. I needed to get away from it all._

_You were always an amazing sister and you always helped me out. You never seemed mad at me, although I knew how I was affecting your life. _

_If you ever want to come out and live with me, just call. I will always answer for you. I'll be glad to send you bus ticket, just let me know._

_I really am sorry._

_Love, love love,_

_Eve_

I folded up the note and put it under my pillow. I was 16.

All summer, I kept myself busy.

My parents fluttered around me like butterflies. They never let me leave without interrogation, never left me alone. "What are you doing, Eden? Where are you going?" they would constantly ask me. "Do you need help? Can I do anything for you?" I wished they would just leave me alone. Without Eve to worry about, they didn't know what to do with themselves. They had to fall back on me, the other daughter.

I had a job. That kept me out of the house 5 days a week for a couple hours. I worked at an ice cream place downtown. It was nice, and friendly, and it paid well. I liked handing a cone of chocolate ice cream to a little boy and watching his face as he smiled.

In that summer, I stopped going to Church with my parents. They would wake me up at 9 for breakfast, then tell me to get ready for 10:30 mass. The first time, I said I was sick. Then it was that I had work, and I couldn't change it, even though I'd arranged for the shift during mass in the morning. I told them I would go at a later mass, but I never did.

I never called Eve. But I thought about her all the time. I missed my sister, as distant as she had been.

--

One day at work, a group of kids came in. They were typical stoners from school, everyone knew them. Jason, Kyle, Michaela, and Julia. These were my sister's friends. I knew Julia the best. Sometimes when they weren't doing anything bad, I would sit and watch movies with Eve and Julia, listening to them talk.

Julia grinned at me. I half waved, smiling back. Maybe I would talk to her after work.

Jason, came up to the counter, a half smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hi," I said cautiously. "Can I help you?" I stood at the counter, ice cream scoop in hand.

"You're Eden's sister, right?" he asked lazily. A family with two twin girls got in line behind him.

I nodded. "Yeah. What kind of ice cream do you want?"

He shrugged. "I dunno... where is Eve?"

I shrugged back. "She left." The family behind him rolled their eyes, getting impatient.

"Well... since she's gone, do you wanna hang out with us? We need another Taylor sister for some... special stuff, if you know what I mean."

I didn't know what he meant. I said nothing.

"Mommy, I want rainbow!" The little girl said, tugging on her mom's sweater.

"I want rainbow too..." her twin pulled on the other side of the sweater.

"Look, I'm at work right now. If you want ice cream, order it. If you don't, leave." I said. I was surprised that I'd managed that.

"We'll see you later, then." He walked away, back to his table of friends, rolled his eyes.

They sat at that table for the rest of my shift, watching me work. They goofed around, making inappropriate gestures and cursing. Parents gave them rude and annoyed looks, upset at them for using bad language around their children.

It made me nervous, them sitting there.

When I wasn't helping a customer, I would watch them, wondering if they missed Eve. Were they even that close? What did she tell them? What did they know about her? Jason caught my eye and winked. I turned away quickly.

After my shift, I hung up my apron and shot out of the door, hoping I could get to my car quickly.

They were waiting for me outside the door.

"Hey," Jason said, standing in front of me.

"Hi..." I said, yet again cautious.

"So. Back to Eve," he said. "Where is she?"

"I really don't know."

"Aren't you her sister? He said, incredulously.

"She... left. She didn't tell us where she went," I said quietly, trying to edge past them.

"Aww, poor little Eden Taylor." He smirked, wrapped an arm around my shoulder. It felt gross, sitting there. I tried to shrug it off.

"Whatever," he said "She just promised me something and she never gave it. Maybe you could repay it?"

"Leave her alone," Julia said, rolling her eyes. She shoved his arm off my shoulder. He put it back.

I didn't want to repay it. I didn't have that much money. But I was curious. "What did she promise you?"

"A blow job."

I was shocked. I must have looked it, too.

"Face it, Eden, your sister was a slut. Probably still is. Maybe she's at least getting money for it now."

I pushed his arm off my shoulder forcefully, and slapped him across the face.

"Shut up. Eve wasn't your sister." I pushed him out of the way and went to my car, got in, and pulled out of my parking space. I watched him standing there on the sidewalk, touching his face as the car rolled by.

"BITCH!" he yelled at me. "You're worse than her!" I ignored him and kept driving.

When I got home, I ran up to my room and jumped in the shower, the water blasting full force. I sobbed the whole time, sitting in the tub, water splashing on my face and my hair.

God damn it, Eve. I thought. God damn you.

--

Okay! So hopefully another update soon.


	4. Lying and Leaving

Yay new chapter

Yay new chapter!! :)

Thanks for the review, dafuturesingingsensation! I appreciate it lots!

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My parents barely paid attention to what I did now. I was 17, made it through my junior year. They just wanted me to get good grades and go to college.

They had hobbies. My dad still worked, he was an accountant, but he took martial arts on the weekends and mowed the lawn. He also enjoyed putting together wooden birdhouses. We had a total 20 in our backyard, hung up on our total of two trees.

My mom had a full schedule. She had signed up for everything imaginable. On Monday nights, it was bridge club. On Tuesday, it was the gardening committee at the Church. On Wednesday, she made pies for the homeless shelter. Thursday was book club. On Friday, she took a painting class. Saturday was yoga. Sunday, she went grocery shopping and got her hair and nails done.

Most nights, my dad and I had to fend for ourselves with dinner. We would heat up leftovers from Sunday dinner, or make sandwiches, or have canned soup. After awhile I just gave up, and started going out for pizza after work with a couple people.

I couldn't stand it. I needed to get out of here. So I did the unimaginable.

I called Eve.

I had never thought I could bring myself to do it. I always had her number, I never took it out of my cell phone. But I had started to forget who she was, pretending every time I passed it in the address book that it was someone from school, someone I didn't know and didn't like.

I waited until Saturday, when Dad was at martial arts and Mom was at yoga. I still shut the door to my room, even though no one was home. I stared at her name in my cell phone for about 5 minutes, thinking about her.

I pressed call with shaky fingers, holding the phone up to my ear and letting it ring.

Ring... I breathed deeply. On the 5th voice, she answered.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice laughing. She sounded the same, but her so much happier.

I didn't say anything.

"Hello?" she said again, the laughter fading from her voice. "Who is it?"

I couldn't bring myself to answer.

"I'm hanging up..." she said slowly.

"Wait." I said. "It's me... It's Eden."

"Eden!" she said. "Eden, baby. I've missed you so so so so much! How are you, love?"

Since when did she call me "baby" and "love?"

"I'm good," I said quietly.

"Really?" she asked.

"No," I said, and began crying.

"Oh, honey, it's okay. Just cry. We can talk about it if you want."

I kept crying.

"Get out of here!" she hissed to someone in the background. "It's my sister."

"Sister?" someone asked.

"Yes, my baby sister. I'll talk to you later!" Then, to me. "Eden?"

"Eve. It sucks here. It sucks so much. Mom and Dad are either all over me or ignoring me, your friends won't leave me alone. I have no other friends... I miss you. I hated you at first for leaving, but I miss you so much." It was true. I realized it now- I did miss her. I needed Eve there.

"God damnit. My friends were bothering you? Damn, I'm sorry, love. Why was I ever friends with them?" she laughed to herself. "They were horrible. I'm glad I got out of that life." 

"I want to get out, too," I said quietly.

"Then come visit me!" she said, excitement growing. "I want to see you, I want you to see where I live! I want you to meet my amazing friends!"

I thought for a minute. "Okay. When... can I come?"

"I'll mail you a bus ticket today! Oh, Eden, I'm so excited. I can't wait."

"Where do you live?" I asked.

"Toronto. I'll meet you at the bus station." I heard rustling in the background. Some talking.

"Hun, I have to go, but I will see you so so soon. I love you," she said.

"I love you too," I answered, but she had already hung up.

When my parents got home, I had my story worked out.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, guess what?" I said, fake excitement in my voice.

"What, honey?" They both turned, their full attention on me. It was the first time they'd see me excited in months.

"I've decided I want to go to University of Toronto!"

"That's so great, Eden!" My mother threw her arms around me.

"Kelly and Jennifer and I really want to drive up there for college interviews, and so we can check out the campus and stuff."

I hadn't spoken to Kelly and Jennifer since school ended.

"Well, that would be great! A fun experience, and you girls can look out for each other." My dad nodded approvingly.

"Are you sure it's okay?" I asked.

"We trust you," my mother said.

It was an elaborate lie, and I knew it. I also knew my parents would believe me.

--

Three days later, the bus ticket came. I grabbed it out of the mail before my parents could see it, the only envelope addressed to me. There was no return address. I ran to my room, ripped it open. Inside was a one way ticket to New York, with a note on a ripped piece of paper.

_Eden,_

_I can't wait to see you. The bus leaves Sunday at noon, and I'll meet you when it gets there. _

_Love, love, love,_

_Eve_

I folded up the note and stuck it in my pocket.

It was Saturday.

I piled clothes into a suitcase, not knowing what to take with me. How long would I be there?

_Hopefully forever_. It was a little voice in the back of my head. I couldn't do that to my parents, but I wanted to.

I wasn't sure how us Taylor girls had turned out like this. Our parents really weren't that bad. We just wanted... more, I guessed.

I got my sleeping bag, pillows, blankets, and suitcases, and put everything together, piled it by the door.

Sunday morning. I ate breakfast, my parents watching me closely. I didn't want them to ask me questions. I went to my room, took a last sweep through to make sure I had everything.

I saw the box on my desk, in the pretty pink paper. Eve's birthday present... I tucked it into my pocket.

I dragged my things downstairs, piled them in my car.

"We're meeting at Kelly's house," I lied through my teeth.

"Oh, honey, we'll miss you, we're proud of you!" My parents each embraced me.

My father handed me an envelope. I looked inside, counted the number of wrinkled bills. Two hundred dollars.

"I can't take this..." I said.

"Have fun. Take your friends out to dinner."

I smiled, but I felt bad. I was lying to them, and they were giving me money. I shook my head, trying to clear the guilt. I needed to do this.

I hugged them each one more time, got in the car, and headed to the bus stop. I parked, carried my suitcases to the waiting area.

A homeless man was on the floor. "Hey, precious," he said grinning at me. I wanted to give him a toothbrush. "Where ya headin'?"

"To see my sister," I replied cautiously.

"Your parents don't know?" he asked, fanning himself with an old newspaper.

I was nervous now. Was he going to kidnap me? Steal my stuff? Tell my parents? I hesitated, but shook my head.

"Be careful up there, baby." He nodded, went back to sleep.

They called my bus number. I stood up. I got on, found a seat towards the front. I set my stuff down under the seat in front of me, and stared at my feet.

_I was going to see Eve._

The realization hit me. I was excited, and nervous, and I wanted to cry. People were all around me, shushing their children, whispering to their friends. I couldn't hear any of it.

When the bus finally began moving, I leaned against the window and fell asleep.

--

Hmm... hope you liked the chapter!


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